New Delhi: Anno: 117 Pax Romana is a city building title developed by Ubisoft Mainz that takes the series to its earliest setting yet. This is a sophisticated and deep title with complex mechanics that will end up consuming a lot of your time. Now this is a brand new title, with a lot of planned updates on the timeline, but there is plenty of content to enjoy right from the start, both in terms of a story or campaign mode, or the endless mode which is more of a sandbox environment. We have previously posted a preview of it, and here is the review.
The ‘Post Card’ mode allows you to instantly capture beautiful snapshots of your city. (In-game screenshot on PC).
Players start off as governors of one of two provinces, Latium or Albion. The governors have to set up supply chains for goods, build housing for residents, cater to their needs, research new technologies, trade or fight with other governors, all the while balancing out the demands of the distant Emperor with the happiness of the citizens. Juggling all of these can be quite complex for a new player, but the game does a great job with its extended tutorial that guides players towards the next steps, as well as relevant prompts to guide the players if they are struggling in any particular area.
The Setting
There are two settings in the game, or the starting region. Latium is an island being resettled after a volcano ruined a more ancient town. This setting is heavily inspired by Pompeii. There are surprises on the landscape that can be excavated, that also give you a leg up as a governor, while improving the environment for the residents. The Campaign mode is in this setting. In the Endless mode, players can choose between Latium and Albion as the starting province. Albion is a mythic version of Britain with marshy lands.
Each island has unique ‘fertilities’, so you need to occupy multiple islands to produce all the goods your residents require. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
In Albion, players can choose to provide for the needs of the residents using Roman food and clothes, or Celtic ones. It is possible to embrace Rome enthusiastically like Cassius Ceramix from Asterix and the Big Fight, or develop the Celtic side of the economy, or a mix of both. In the Endless mode, you have to more quickly set up trade routes, colonize the free islands on the map, forge diplomatic relations with other governors and unlock the research tree. You also have to choose patron gods for the islands, a choice locked to choosing between Roman and Celtic technologies, that provide certain benefits.
Latium locks you in to Roman tech, but in Albion you can choose between Roman and Celtic advancement paths. Albion has marshlands. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC.
Now the idea is to depict a diverse and secular romanticized version of Rome here, one that is not strictly historically accurate. The game is packed with historical easter eggs, something that any fans of history are bound to enjoy. The characters are mashups of multiple historical figures, but you might encounter traces of familiar characters from that time such as Trajan or Boudica. This is an idealized version of Rome at the height of its power when the civilization spanned across three continents. You will encounter interesting characters from Britain, Mesopotamia, Egypt and even China during the course of the game. The Campaign is a lot of fun.
Story Mode
In the Story Mode, you start off as a governor in Latium. The game tutorial takes you through the mechanics as you set up a thriving civilization, explore new islands, build up the military, and handle encounters with the Governor. As you advance as a Governor, you also find out more about your personal past, as well as Rome itself. You have to tackle political intrigue and Celtic warlords as you progress, with the single player mode seamlessly transitioning to the Endless mode. You can also play with up to four other players in a multiplayer game that allows you to collectively construct a fictional world with individual decisions.
The two protagonists each have their own stories. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
Now there is a ton of story packed into the game beyond just the story mode. Even the available supply chains for production have a story to tell. You can dive into the city in first person mode and see how the residents are living. There are unique interactions and your choices at various points that all add to the ‘story’ as well. Both the settings are fantastical versions of Rome and Britain, and you will continuously be exposed to new and surprising aspects of the world that the developers have created, as well as events that are rooted in real history.
Gameplay
Now Anno 117: Pax Romana is a deep and sophisticated game that is pretty tolerant to different styles of leadership. You can be a just and benevolent governor, or a harsh and strict one, or even a moody and inconsistent one. The clock is ticking from the get go with funds getting depleted, and the first thing you have to do is set up housing for taxing the residents, and start to trade. Importing and exporting goods allows you to access the wider world, and comes with its own benefits. This game can easily keep you occupied forever, and is made for endless replayability.
The tech tree is divided into Economic, Civic and Military branches. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
Once you have established a positive balance sheet, it is all about advancing the city in size and complexity. Just optimizing the buildings to make sure everything is up and running can take up all your time. All production facilities have to be linked to warehouses, with sufficient storage space available. All the supply chains have to be monitored to ensure that the goods are being produced as expected. Now some buildings have a positive or negative effect on others, and have to be positioned appropriately. The fire risks of some buildings have to be managed as well, and settlements can get crowded really fast, so exploring and settling other islands is essential.
The Hall of Fame unlocks items that can be purchased with Fame, won through achievements. These unlocks can give you a boost early in the game. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
Now while there may be a lot to do, and the buildup in complexity is satisfying, it is possible to play a very relaxing game. There is a wide variety of decorative buildings available right from the start, so it is entirely possible to focus on aesthetics and economy, and not so much on military buildup. Eventually, you will have to secure your shipping routes and fortify settlements to keep out raiders, but you can still get a cozy, no-stress city building experience. There are granular control options available for tweaking the gameplay. We wish there was a purely creative mode that allows you to just build cities with everything unlocked though.
Presentation
Anno 117: Pax Romana has a great vibe. The Endless mode begins with a showcase of the region, that showcases the diversity and complexity that the settlements can reach, along with the geography of the setting. The Story mode begins with a sea voyage through a storm that sets the context for a challenging setting. There are concept art slides throughout the game that serve to create an atmosphere and mood for the events of the story. The production quality for the graphics and sound are top notch. This is a refined and polished title.
The artwork does a great job of setting the mood for the title. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
Now what we really liked about the game was all the granular options for tweaking. This extends to the gameplay, but also the graphics options. While we were not able to get the game to run on a Snapdragon X device, it ran smoothly on all other platforms. Matching the graphics options to your settings significantly boosts the performance, and if there is something off, it is possible to find a suitable setting to fix it. If you are encountering any graphical problems, it is most likely because of a mismatch between the settings and the hardware, and it can be fixed with a bit of intelligent tweaking.
Verdict
Anno 117: Pax Romana is a AAA city building title that has a lot going for it. Right on top of the list is the setting itself, which is something that the developers zeroed in after surveying the fans of the series. The Roman period is a natural fit for the series, and it is nice to see that the developers have told their own unique, fresh take on the time period. The action takes place in the fringes of the empire, with Rome and the Emperor being a distant influence, with the primary task at hand is ensuring that the residents thrive. This allows you to explore and experience novel interactions, with a diverse set of characters. The game also has a great production quality, invites you to play it repeatedly, and can take up a lot of your time. You can also spend a lot of time just looking at the beautiful and detailed game world, and encounter surprises such as horses running through the marshes.
Exploring the settlements from the ground is a lot of fun. (Image Credit: In-game screenshot on PC).
Now as a brand new title, and can be expected to grow in the future, but there is plenty of content in the game right now. There is mod support for PC right from the start, so the community can be expected to develop mods for the games. As you play the game and reach different milestones, you get to unlock gear and specialists in the Hall of Fame, that gives your game an early boost, providing a smoother ramp towards the end game for more experienced players. Once a self-sustaining settlement is set up, just walking around the town that you have built in the first person POV is a fun and relaxing experience. The ability to use modern tools such as dashboards, to essentially run these ancient settlements as smart cities is extremely satisfying. Anno 117: Pax Romana is an easy recommendation for fans of strategy city building titles.